Budget Deal Reached.  A global budget agreement has been reached with individual budget targets set for each area of the budget.  The E-12 budget target is set at $540 million, which is approximately $160 million below the Governor's budget proposal and $360 million below the House's.  If it approximately $250 million above the Senate's last budget proposal.  The budget agreement calls for a basic formula increase of 2% in each year of the biennium, which would absorb around $390 million of the $540 million target.  That would leave revenue for special education, early childhood education (school readiness plus or early learning scholarships), and school safety.  We'll have to see where things go from here.  Speaker Hortman indicated she would prefer a special session to be held on Thursday, May 23.  Lots of work to be done between now and then, but things could get done quite easily.